Verizon double-wide LTE network slowly waking up in New York City

The US network market is fiercely competitive, with every carrier trying to one-up the others at every turn. It seems that this round might soon belong to Verizon as sightings of its double-wide LTE network increase.

Such sightings have happened in Chicago and Los Angeles, but this time GigaOM was able to snag an actual confirmation from a tester in New York City. Based on the results of the Speedtest iPhone app, the tester got a download speed of 80 Mbps, with an uplink speed of 15 Mbps. Quite impressive, especially considering AT&T's current LTE network is said to only average 16.7 Mbps, with a top rate of 75 Mbps.

The massive increase in speeds is thanks to Verizon's use of a full 40 MHz spectrum which it has started deploying in markets across the country. These networks are, in fact, theoretically capable of up to 150 Mbps downlod speeds, so the low test results are actually quite puzzling. But even at 80 Mbps, Verizon's new LTE offering will surely give competitors something to worry about.

Of course, those numbers are still bound to change, considering the new LTE network is still not officially available. Other factors will come into play once it launches, such as the amount of users on the network, as well as Verizon's own throttling and restrictions.

And yet they have the most coverage, the highest customer service ratings, and generally the fastest data speeds of any carrier in the US. Just because you had a bad experience with them for the 7 or so months you were with them does not mean they “suck”.

ronjon400

Hurry up and get to my 4GB cut off. Car payment or cell phone bill? Hmmm.
Why you would need that much through put is just not computing.

Mesa

Too bad that Verizon will earn less money this time just because of the increased speeds, people without unlimited data will be screwed cause they will run up their total data allotment within 2 or 3 days if even less. But its good to see those speeds nonetheless i wouldnt complain if i was on that carrier with unlimited data,